The present invention relates to the field of guidewires for percutaneous procedures. The present invention relates particularly to a guidewire having a marker segment.
Guidewires are used in a number of procedures within various conduits of the body. In particular, guidewires are used in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and other coronary procedures. This can involve insertion of the guide wire through an incision in the femoral artery near the groin, advancing the guide wire over the aortic arch, into a coronary artery, and across the lesion to be treated. Guidewires can be inserted directly into the vasculature or within a guide catheter. The distal end of the guidewire ultimately lies directly within the vasculature.
Once the distal end of the guidewire is positioned in the vasculature, devices including catheters can be advanced into position over the guidewire and withdrawn over the guidewire. In various procedures, the length of the device, or length of a portion of the device advanced over the guidewire can be important. For example, if the guidewire is being used for angioplasty, the length of the dilatation balloon is preferably sufficiently long to dilate a coronary lesion without repositioning the angioplasty catheter or exchanging the catheter for a second angioplasty catheter. The placement of a stent often follows angioplasty. When selecting a stent for placement following angioplasty, the length of the stent is preferably sufficient to support the length of the lesion.
What is desired and has not been provided is a guidewire that can be used to easily estimate the length of anatomic or artificial structures percutaneously. Further, what is desired is a guidewire having one or more easily viewable markers with predetermined distance between each marker so that the conjunction of markers provides a scale to a position that a physician can easily and accurately determine distances within a blood vessel.
The present invention pertains to a guide wire which can be placed in a patient""s vasculature or body cavity. The guide wire includes one or more radiopaque markers which can be visualized by fluoroscopy or the like. The markers are preferably spaced apart longitudinally along the guide wire such that the markers and/or spaces between the markers can be used to make measurements of anatomical or artificial structures within the body.